Railway vehicle



July 23, '1940. BREER 2,208,26

`RAILWAY VEHICLE Filed May 26, 1937 NVENTOR BY C'ARL. REER. @ZZ/*M A T TORNE YS.

Patented July 23, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Carl Breer, Grosse Pointe Park, Mich., assigner to Chrysler Corporation, Highland Park, Mich., a' corporation oi' Delaware Application May ze, 1937. serial No. 144,854 s claim. (ci. 10s- 453) My invention relates generally to vehicles and has particular relation to various types of railway vehicles in which a series of cars are drawn or propelled over rails, and which may be employed I for the hauling of passengers or merchandise in general.

One object of my invention consists in providing railway vehicles in which the forces transmitted through each car to the remainder of the series of cars are transmitted without passing through the body of the car. A

Another object of my invention is to provide a railway vehicle in which the car body is -independently free to move with respect to other car u bodies regardless of the forces being transmitted through its trucks and supporting structure to i adjacent vehicles.

A further object of my invention consists in providing a railway vehicle in which thebody n. may be pivotally mounted on its trucks at points corresponding to the front and rear centers of percussion of the body itself and in which the freedom of movement of the body with respect to its supporting trucksror to the bodies of adjau cent vehicles is not restricted by the fact that forces necessary for the operation of the train are being transmitted through its associated trucks to other portions of the train.

For a better understanding of my invention reference may now be had to the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a side view, partially in elevation and partially in cross-section, of a railroad vehicle constructed in accordance with my invention.

I Fig. 2 is a transverse cross-sectional view of the structure illustrated in Fig. l, the view being taken along the line II-II thereof.

Fig. 3 is a side elevational view of portions of a series of three carsconstituting a train, portions n having been omitted for the sake of clarity, the structure embodying the general principles of my invention and embodying specifically a modiiication of the structure illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2.

a Fig. 4 is a side elevational view, partially in elevation, of a portion of one oi' the cars illustrated in Fig. 3, being drawn on an enlarged scale.

Fig. 5 is a detailed cross-sectional view of the' u coupling mechanism and its associated partis embodied in the structure illustrated in Fig. 4, the section being taken along the line V--V thereof.

Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the body supporting members illustrated in Figs. 3 to 5, in-

clusive, the section being taken along the line VI-VI of Fig. 5.

In the construction illustrated, in Figs. l and 2 I' have shown two spaced trucks Il and Il provided with wheels I2 adapted to roll on the usual l rails I2ab of a railroad track. The trucks I0 and II each comprise a frame I3 supported by coil springs I4 on equalizer bars I5 which in turn are supported on the wheel journals in the usual fashion. Swing links I6, pivotally secured to the 10 frame I3, support a spring plank I1, permitting lateral movement thereof with respect to the frame I3. The spring plank I1 supports two downwardly extending projections I8 integral with or secured to a bolster I9. 'I'he bolster Il,u is provided with a center bearing having a king pin 2I. Pivotally mounted on each king pin 2| is 'a platform 22 on which, in turn, is mounted at each 'side an elliptical leaf spring 23 which serves to support a car body 24. 'I'he car body l0 24 is thus supported at its two ends by means of four-sets of resilient springs 23 on platforms 22, which, in turn, are pivotally mounted on the holsters I 9 of the trucks I II and II.

A relatively rigid beam125 extends longltudi- 25 nally of the car body 24 and is pivotally connected at its ends to the two center bearings 2l and king pins 2I of trucks II) and II and serves to transmit all tension and compression forces between the trucks from one to the otherwithout passing through the body 24. Attached to each truck is a coupling member 26 provided withfa drawbar 21 which extends into a recess 2l in /the platform 22 and is pivotally connected to the king pin 2I as shown in Fig. 2. I f desired the 35 usual draft gear adapted to cushion shocks may be incorporated in the drawbars 21. The drawbars 21 serve to take all' shocks and all forces, which pass throughout the train, transmit them directly to the center bearings 2li of the 40 trucks and thence to the beam 25 to be transmitted to the other truck, thus causing a transmission of forces between adjacent cars without passing through the vehicle body 24, which is thus left free to move on its springs, or other resilient mountings 23, without being in any way aiected by any forces vexcept the Inertia forces and wind resistance operating on the Individual car body. This is particularly-advantageous in cars placed close to the locomotive which'must 50 transmit all of the tensional forces from the loco-- motive to the entire train of cars. The car bodies are provided with the usual collapsible bellows 2l by means of which each car is connected to the next adjacent car so as to permit passage of passengers from one car tothe otherv without being exposed to the weather'.

In locating the trucks with respect to the car body I have found it preferable to locate the trucks in such relation with respect to the mass and length of the car bodies that each truck, or its center of suspension, is located in a vertical transverse plane containing a center of percussion with respect to an axis of rotation in a vertical transverse plane passing through the pivotal or suspension center of the other truck or in close proximity thereto. If the centers of suspension Aof each of the trucks are located in the vertical transverse planes in which are disposed the centers of percussion with respect to axes of rotation disposed-in the vertical transverse plane of the center of suspension of the other supporting truck any. lateral or vertical displacement imparted to the body through one truck will cause the body to move about a point immediately over vthe center of suspensionl of the second truck as an axis, thus preventing any displacement of the body with respect t( the second truck and eliminating the resultant undesirable movement of the car resulting therefrom and resulting from the restoring efforts of the springs in bringing the car body back to its proper position with respect to the second truck.4

I have found it is desirable, in` many instances, depending. upon the type service for which the car is constructed which in turn determines the method of loading, to place the truck centers between the vertical transverse planes of the centers of percussion of the body when the car body is empty, each with respect to the vertical transverse planes of the axes of the opposite truck` as axis of rotation so that when the car is fully loaded, for example, with passengers,. the centers vof'percussion of the car will coincide substantially with the vertical transverse planes of the pivotal center: of the supporting trucks. This can be determined more accurately in certain types of freight cars, and the like, where the distribution of the weight of the load can be moreA accurately arranged than is true of passenger cars, but my invention is equally applicable to both and servesv to improve the riding qualities of the cars regardless of the service in which they are employed.

I have found that the centers of percussion in a car body with respect to axes of rotation in the vertical transverse planes of the centers of suspension of the two trucks are in substantially Athe same vertical trainsv'erse plane for both vertical and lateral forces imposed on that car body, so that the previously described location of the truck centers serve -to minimize the disturbing effect of forces arising both from lateral or vertical irregularities of the railroad tracks or transmitted through the drawbars.

The structures illustrated in Figs. 3 to 6, in clusive, differ from those in Figs. l and 2 primarily in the structure employed for supporting the car body 24 on a platform 30 which corresponds to the platform 22 of Figs. l and 2. The platform 30 is mounted on the center bearing of the bolster I9, aspreviously described, but the 4body 24 is mounted thereon by means of four symmetrically disposed rubber supporting members 3|. Each of these members, as best shown in Fig. 6, comprises an outermetallic shell 32, adapted to be secured to the platform 30 by bolts or other securing means 33. Within the outer shell 32 is disposed an annulus of rubber 34, which may be vulcanized thereto, which supports an inner cylindrical shell 35, and may be vulcanized thereto, the shell 35 being supported by but maintained out of metallic contact with the shell 32. The shell 35 is adapted to receive a projection 36 constituting a lower extension of a stud 31 secured to the bottom side of the car body 24. The weight ofthe car is supported by shouldersl 38 'on the studs 31 engaging the tops of the inner shells 35, and the members 36 are retained in position by means of washers 39 and threaded nuts 40 which prevent the members 36 from pulling upwardly out of the shells 35 under any conditions.

Asbest shown in Fig. 5 the center bearing or pin 2| extends upwardly through the platform 30 and through a recess 4| in the platform 30. The coupling member 26 with its associated drawbar 21 is connected through a draft gear 42 to an extension 43 thereof which is pivotally mounted on the pin 2| within the recess 4|, thus permitting the transmission of all tension and compression forces from the couplings, through the drawbars, through the platforms, through the center bearings, to the spacing beam and thus to the second truck Where it is similarly transmitted to the coupling, at the opposite end of the car Awithout employing the car body or any portion thereof to transmit any forces between adjacent cars and permitting freedom of movement thereof which is uniform under all conditions. This permits of developing better springing characteristics of the car body because the'forces to which the body is subjected are of much simpler character and of a more limited range.

As illustrated in Fig. 2, excessive tilting of the car body 24 is prevented by having the floor 4 5 thereof parallel to -and spaced but a short distance from the platform 22 which, in turn, is provided with downwardly extending portions 46 disposeddirectly over but normally spaced from abutments 41 on the bolster .I9 serving to prevent any excessive tilting of the platform 22 with respect to the truck frame I3.

The use of the rubber supporting members 3| serves to prevent. the transmission, through a metal to metal contact, of any of the shocks,

noises or vibrations encountered by the trucks by reason of their contact with the rails, or throughv the drawbars from adjacent cars and serves to add to the easy riding qualities of the car body by aiding to dampen out noises as well as vibration normally transmitted to the car body from the trucks. This feature, combined with the feature of eliminating all drawbar forces from the car bodies, and the feature of disposing the centers of suspension of the trucks at the centers of percussion of the bar body with respect to the opposite centers of suspension as axes of rotation serve to further reduce the amount of motion or shock transmitted to the car body in either a lateral or vertical direction from the trucks and drawbars.

I have found it desirable, in this connection to employ the rigid type of coupling on the drawbars, so as to properly space the car ends to prevent the engagement of the end .of one car with the end of the next adjacent car, which always transmits objectionable disturbances to both-car bodies. Also, the collapsible bellows 25 are of such design as to prevent the transmission of any lateral forces of any nature form one car body to the other.

Although I have described but a single form of my invention and have illustrated but twol applications thereof it will be apparent to those u skilled in the art that my invention is not so limited, but that various minor modifications and changes may be incorporated therein without departing from the spirit of my invention or from the scope of the appended claims.l

I claim: v

1. In combination, a railway vehicle comprising two longitudinally spaced trucks eachprovided with a plurality of pairs of supporting wheels, a

car body mounted on said trucks by means of interposed supporting springs and pivotally movable with respect to each of them about substantially vertical axes extending through said trucks,` a relatively rigid beam independent of said car body extending lengthwise of said vehicle and pivotally secured to each of said trucks about the same vertical axes, and rigid type car coupling means secured to-each of said trucks and pivotally movable with respect thereto about the same vertical axes, said body being capable of limited movement in its longitudinal direction relative to said beam, said beam being adapted to transmit the drawbar forces directly between said coupling means independently of said car body.

2. In combination, a railway vehicle comprising two longitudinally spaced trucks each provided with a plurality of pairs of supporting wheels and each provided with a substantially vertically disposed pivotal member a substantially rigid spacing member extending between said trucks and pivotally attached to said pivotal members, a supporting member mounted on each of said trucks and rotatable about the pivotal memberfthereof as an axis, a car body, and means mounting said car body on said supporting members for limited -wise of said vehicle and pivotally secured to each of said trucks, a car body, and means mounting said body on said trucks for limited movement `of said body in all directions with respect to said trucks and said beam, the truck pivotal centers being so located with respect to the mass of the body that the center of percussion'of the body with respect to an axis of rotation in4 a transverse vertical plane passing through one ofthe truck pivotal centers will occur in a plane parallel to the aforesaid plane and in proximity to the other truck pivotal center.

4. In combination, a railway vehicle comprising two longitudinally spaced trucks each provided with a plurality of pairs of supporting wheels, a relatively rigid beam extending lengthwise of saidvehicle vand pivotally secured to each of said trucks, car coupling means secured to each of said trucks, a car body, and means mounting said body on said beam for limited movement of said body in `all directions with respect to said beam, the truck pivotal centers being so located with respect to the mass of the entire vehicle that the cen'ter of percussion of the vehicle with respect to an axis of rotationin a vertical transverse plane passing through either of said truck pivotal centers will occur in a vertical transverse plane in proximity to the other truck pivotal center.

5. In combination, a railway vehicle comprising a car body and a pluralityl of relatively pivotal trucks, a platform pivoted to each of said trucks and means for resiliently mounting saidbody on said platforms comprising a plurality of spaced members symmetrically disposed with respect to the pivotal axis of each of said trucks, said members each comprising an outer metallic sleeve secured tp a platform, a rubber sleeve member secured to said outer sleeve; an inner metallic sleeve secured to said rubber member, and a metallic member mounted on said car body and adapted to fit snugly Within said inner metallic sleeve.

Q 6. In combination, a railway vehicle comprising a car body and a plurality of relatively pivotalv trucks, a platform pivoted to each of said trucks and means for resiliently mounting said body on said platforms comprising a plurality of spaced members symmetrically disposed with respect to the pivotal axis of each of said trucks, said members each comprising an outer metallic sleeve secured Ato a platform, a rubber sleeve member secured to said outer sleeve, an inner metallic sleeve secured to said rubber member, and a metallic pin secured to said car body and adapted to :dt snugly within said inner metallic sleeve, the axes of said pin and each of said sleeves being disposed substantially vertically. y

7. Incombination, a railway vehicle comprising two longitudinally spaced wheel-carrying trucks, a spacing beam interconnecting said trucks, pivot means between said beam and each of said trucks, rigid type coupling means pivotally attached to each of said pivot means, said beam being adapted to transmit the drawbar forces'directly between said coupling means, a

car body, and means yieldingly supporting said y body on said trucks so arranged as to accommodate limited relative movement in a direction longitudinally of said body between saidl body and said beam and coupling means whereby the drawbar forces are transmitted between said coupling means without passing through said car body.

car body, and means yieldingly supporting said,`

body on said trucks, said supporting means comprising a plurality of longitudinally extending leaf-spring assemblies so arranged as to accommodatelimited relative movement in a direction longitudinally of said body between said body and said beam and coupling means whereby the drawbar forces are transmitted between said coupling means without passing through said car body.

CARL BREER. 

